Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide plans to open 35 hotels in the Middle East over the next three years. The company will open seven new hotels in the region in 2014.
Earlier this year, Starwood entered into the Emirate of Ajman with the opening of Ajman Saray, a Luxury Collection Resort. The company will unveil a new Sheraton hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road this September, marking Starwood’s 15th hotel in Dubai, the company’s second largest hotel market behind only New York City with 21 hotels. The UAE is the largest growth market in the Middle East with plans to have more than 30 Starwood hotels by 2017.
Starwood currently has 10 hotels in Saudi Arabia with another eight properties in the pipeline. Upcoming openings in the Kingdom include three new hotels in Mecca -Sheraton, Westin, and Four Points by Sheraton-adding nearly 1,500 rooms. The Aloft brand will debut in Saudi Arabia with Aloft Riyadh in 2015. Starwood will also re-enter Iraq after two decades with the opening of Sheraton Dohuk in October.
Following last year’s conversions of Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates and Four Points by Sheraton Riyadh Khaldia, the company will convert three more properties in 2014. Opening in July, the Westin Bahrain City Centre and Le Méridien Bahrain City Centre will mark the debut of both brands in Bahrain. Grand Hills, a Luxury Collection Resort, Broumana will be the first Luxury Collection hotel in Lebanon when it opens in November after an extensive renovation.
Starwood plans to open five more W Hotels across the Middle East, including two in Dubai and one each in Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and Amman in the next few years. These, together with upcoming St. Regis and Luxury Collection hotels, will more than double Starwood’s luxury footprint in the region by 2017.
